CKE Press Release

Chains Once Again Raise the High-Quality Bar They Set for Fast-Food Burgers

CARPINTERIA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--More than a decade ago, Hardee’s® and Carl’s Jr.®
proved fast-food consumers can get a burger that rivals sit-down
restaurant offerings with the introduction of their 100 percent Black
Angus Beef Thickburgers® and Six Dollar Burgers®.
Now the chains have upped the ante yet again. Currently rolling out
across the country, Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s premium burger lines will
soon be served on Fresh Baked Buns.

The raw bun dough is given time to rise or “proof” and is then baked,
cooled, sliced and served. These are no ordinary hamburger buns in many
other ways. Consumers will notice the buns are denser, a little sweeter
(bringing out the flavor of the charbroiled 100 percent Black Angus beef
patties) and, of course, baked fresh, then grilled so that each one is
served perfectly hot, soft and delicious.

Following the recent completion of the Made from Scratch™
buttermilk biscuits roll-out at Carl’s Jr., both chains now have ovens
installed in virtually all of their locations. In addition to baking
fresh biscuits for breakfast, the ovens also make it possible to prepare
Fresh Baked Buns for lunch and dinner guests.

“For years, our goal at Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s has been to make
sit-down restaurant-quality food available to fast-food consumers, but I
think we’ve even gone a step beyond that this time,” said Brad Haley,
chief marketing officer of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. “We’re now not only
the only major fast-food chains to offer 100 percent Black Angus beef
burgers, but we’re also the only ones to bake premium-quality buns for
those burgers fresh in our restaurants, every day. Not many fine-dining
restaurants even do that anymore. But, these aren’t just basic hamburger
buns that we’ve chosen to bake ourselves rather than have a commercial
bakery make for us. They really are as good as or better than you could
bake at home. In fact, we knew we were on to something in our test
markets when customers started asking if they could buy a bag of buns to
take home with them.”

The Fresh Baked Buns launch will be supported by advertising created by
Los Angeles- and Amsterdam-based creative agency 72andSunny.
The commercials will begin airing across the country beginning Nov. 25
and also will be posted on the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s YouTube channels (www.youtube.com/carlsjr and www.youtube.com/hardees).

“Most people love the look and feel of great buns,” Haley said. “So, our
advertising campaign for Fresh Baked Buns will capitalize on that fact
in a fun way.”

Fresh Baked Buns are standard on any Six Dollar Thickburger at Carl’s
Jr. and one-third-pound Thickburgers at Hardee’s. They also are
available for substitution on any other burger or sandwich offering for
an additional charge. Fresh Baked Buns received rave reviews in social
media circles during local product tests in select Carl’s Jr. and
Hardee’s locations. Beginning mid-October, the first wave of restaurants
began offering the Fresh Baked Buns as a regular menu item. All
participating Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s restaurants will be serving Fresh
Baked Buns by Nov. 14, 2013.

CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.

CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. is a privately held company headquartered
in Carpinteria, Calif. As of October 7, 2013, the Company, through its
subsidiaries, had a total of 3,381 franchised or company-operated
restaurants in 42 states and 28 foreign countries and U.S. territories
worldwide, including 1,402 Carl’s Jr.® restaurants and 1,974
Hardee’s® restaurants. For more information about CKE
Restaurants, please visit www.ckr.com
or its brand sites at www.carlsjr.com
and www.hardees.com.